WHS is Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome, a progressive, degenerative neurological disease that affects African pygmy hedgehogs and European hedgehogs.[1] It is probably inherited, and unfortunately, it is a fatal disease. If your beloved "hedgie" winds up with WHS, you can provide excellent care and ensure a longer, more comfortable life.

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Steps

1

Diagnose WHS. It's not always easy to determine if your hedgehog has Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome. While many sources state that your pet will start to fall over or list to one side, evidence of the disease may be as subtle as dragging a foot or abruptly stopping running in the wheel. If your hedgehog starts to act differently than usual, a visit to the vet is probably the right thing to do; indeed, a sick hedgehog must always be taken to a vet because he will always need specialist diagnosis and care.[2]

When transporting a sick hedgehog to the vet, place him in a warm spot in a sleeping box with a lid. Try to get a friend to hold the box in the car to minimize bumps and vibrations to prevent car sickness.[3]

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2

Recognize the symptoms. This disease is predominant in domesticated hedgehogs and is similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) in humans.[4] This disease is believed to be genetic and there is no predeterminer to distinguish an affected hedgehog until the disease appears. It affects both males and females without bias.[5] The symptoms can include:

A rapid or a gradual onset affecting the hind legs, then moving up the body to the head. If rapid, it is debilitating very quickly, and can happen within a few days.

Onset can occur anywhere from 1 month to 36 months of age, with the average onset at 18 months.[7]

3

Consider your willingness to care for your WHS afflicted hedgehog. As the disease progresses, your pet hedgehog will require specialized care. With this care, your pet can live for many months while in the grips of this physical decline. If you are unwilling to provide such care or feel your hedgehog is suffering, discuss euthanasia with your vet. Keep in mind, however, that many affected animals can survive for up to 24 months post-diagnosis, given the appropriate care.

4

Care for your pet's physical needs. It is critical that you position your hedgehog as naturally as possible to enable the circulatory system to work properly. As with any living creature, you will want to make things as comfortable and natural as possible. Here are some suggestions:

As the animal loses use of his limbs, you can use towels or soft cloths/fabric to keep your "hedgie" upright. One method is to roll up two towels and place on either side of your hedgehog to keep him upright, cradled in the "hollow" created in the middle.

Consider creating a maze with upright walls that your hedgehog can use to walk around to get to bed without falling over. Use whatever materials you have to hand, such as cardboard, plastic, etc.

Some carers advocate for physical therapy to keep the muscles toned and strong. If you do this, you must take care to not injure your pet while you try to help it. Make sure you do not move limbs in directions that they can no longer move. Provided that you take care, daily massaging your hedgehog can be a good way to help keep deteriorating muscles toned. Some suggestions include:

To aid digestion, rub your fingers clockwise on the hedgehog's belly as he lays back on your lap (never do this counter-clockwise).[8]

For the legs, massage each one and move each leg gently in a walking motion.[9]

Fix your hedgehog's surrounding environment. Once your pet is unable to stand on its legs, food and water need to be put lower where these can be reached with ease. When the hedgehog can no longer navigate effectively, water bowls must be removed completely, to avoid drowning. At that point, you will need to use a medicine dropper (pipette) or syringe to give water to your pet. Avoiding dehydration is very important, so you mustn't forget to rehydrate regularly.

As the body loses the ability to move around, temperature control must be supplemented using covers directly placed over your hedgehog (use soft fabric to make small "sheets"). Perhaps also use external heaters but if you need to use a heater, ensure that you do not make the environment too hot. Having the environment too hot or too cold is equally bad for an ailing hedgehog.

Avoid the growth of bed sores by repositioning the animal often. If a sore develops, treat it with antibiotic ointment and keep the area dry and clean. Seek your vet's advice if you're not sure what to do or use.

Change the bedding often to ensure your hedgehog is dry and clean. Hand towels are the perfect size when folded over into quarters to make a soft and pliable cushion. Paper towels folded into quarters make an absorbent and easily changeable padding to go on top of the hand towel. It's also handy to keep soft layered clothes nearby to wrap around your pet – this makes him easier to handle and reduces the chance of dropping him or causing discomfort to his sore and weak joints.

6

Adapt how you feed your WHS hedgehog. Nothing in what you feed your pet needs to change after he contracts this disease, however, you should ensure that the food given is of high quality if it isn't already. How you feed your hedgehog will need to be modified:

Dry food may eventually need to be broken into smaller bite-sized bits.

Egg, fish, chicken, etc. will also need to be provided in small pieces to keep your hedgehog from choking.

As already mentioned, water needs to be administered using a medicine dropper (pipette) or a syringe, and it needs to be provided often to keep your pet from suffering from dehydration.

Eventually your pet may become unable to eat on his own. At that point, a tube or a straw can be used to supply nourishment via forced feeding.

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Video

This video shows Molly, confirmed as suffering from Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome (WHS), trying to walk and finding it very hard to do so. Molly was euthanized about a month after this video was made, as her symptoms developed rapidly and her quality of life degraded.

Tips

Dealing with the emotional stress: Don't be misled – caring for a hedgehog with WHS is difficult and time consuming. And, it's sad to watch your pet degenerate before your eyes. Yet, providing what amounts to hospice care for another being has rewards of another kind – you extend the time you have left and you will form a connection with your hedgehog. Dependent creatures form bonds that may not exist before illness occurs. Hold your hedgehog often and talk to it! Your pet's head is unaffected by the disease and he/she will need reassurance from your attention and comforting voice.

Caring for an ailing hedgehog can be a good experience for both you and for your pet.

If you think your pet should be put to sleep just because it has lost use of its legs, think what you would want if you where your hedgehog- if you had food water and love, would you care just because you couldn't move your legs?

Please do your best to keep your hedgie comfortable.

WHS affects around 10% of African pygmy hedgehogs in North America.[11]

Warnings

WHS cannot be transferred to human beings, but it is always wise to wash your hands before and after handling your hedgehog. Even healthy hedgehogs can carry salmonella.